Gertrud Rittmann (24 September 1908 – 22 February 2005) was a German Jewish composer, musical director, arranger and orchestrator who lived and worked for much of her life in the United States. Her career particularly flourished with major successes in Broadway theater.

Early years

Trude Rittmann was born in Mannheim, Germany, and began piano lessons at age eight. She studied with

Ernst Toch Ernst Toch (; 7 December 1887 – 1 October 1964) was an Austrian composer of classical music and film scores. He sought throughout his life to introduce new approaches to music. Biography Toch was born in Leopoldstadt, Vienna, into the family ...

and Hans Bruch at the Hochschule für Musik Köln, and graduated in 1932, already noted as a promising composer. Rittmann fled Germany in 1933, and worked in France, Belgium and England, and in 1937 settled in the United States. Her mother and sister escaped Germany as well, but her father died in prison under the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

Later career

In New York Rittmann was hired by

Lincoln Kirstein Lincoln Edward Kirstein (May 4, 1907 – January 5, 1996) was an American writer, impresario, art connoisseur, philanthropist, and cultural figure in New York City, noted especially as co-founder of the New York City Ballet. He developed and sus ...

as a concert accompanist and pianist for

George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze; ka, გიორგი მელიტონის ძე ბალანჩივაძე; January 22, 1904 (O. S. January 9) – April 30, 1983) was ...

's American Ballet Caravan. She later became musical director, touring with them for four years and working with composers including

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

, Virgil Thomson, Aaron Copland and

Marc Blitzstein Marcus Samuel Blitzstein (March 2, 1905January 22, 1964), was an American composer, lyricist, and librettist. He won national attention in 1937 when his pro-union musical ''The Cradle Will Rock'', directed by Orson Welles, was shut down by the Wo ...

. In 1941 Rittmann and

Stefan Wolpe Stefan Wolpe (25 August 1902, Berlin – 4 April 1972, New York City) was a German-Jewish-American composer. He was associated with interdisciplinary modernism, with affiliations ranging from the Bauhaus, Berlin agitprop theater and the kibbutz mo ...

composed the music for the film ''Palestine at War'', made by the

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

Labour Commission. Also in 1941 Rittmann took a position with

Agnes de Mille Agnes George de Mille (September 18, 1905 – October 7, 1993) was an American dancer and choreographer. Early years Agnes de Mille was born in New York City into a well-connected family of theater professionals. Her father William C. deMill ...

as concert accompanist, and in 1943 did the arrangements for her choreography in the

Kurt Weill Kurt Julian Weill (March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fru ...

/ Ogden Nash musical ''

One Touch of Venus ''One Touch of Venus'' is a 1943 musical with music written by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Ogden Nash, and book by S. J. Perelman and Nash, based on the 1885 novella ''The Tinted Venus'' by Thomas Anstey Guthrie, and very loosely spoofing the Pygma ...

''. Rittmann went on to work on many musicals as orchestrator including ''

Finian's Rainbow ''Finian's Rainbow'' is a musical with a book by E. Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy, lyrics by Harburg, and music by Burton Lane, produced by Lee Sabinson. The original 1947 Broadway production ran for 725 performances, while a film version was re ...

'' (1947), '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' (1949), '' Peter Pan'' (1950 musical by

), ''

Fanny Fanny may refer to: Given name * Fanny (name), a feminine given name or a nickname, often for Frances In slang * A term for the vulva, in Britain and many other parts of the English-speaking world * A term for the buttocks, in the United States ...

'' (1954) and '' Peter Pan'' (1954 musical by

Moose Charlap Morris Isaac "Moose" Charlap (December 19, 1928 – July 8, 1974) was an American Broadway composer best known for ''Peter Pan'' (1954), for which Carolyn Leigh wrote the lyrics. The idea for the show came from Jerome Robbins, who planned to have a ...

and

Jule Styne Jule Styne (; born Julius Kerwin Stein; December 31, 1905 – September 20, 1994) was an English-American songwriter and composer best known for a series of Broadway musicals, including several famous frequently-revived shows that also became s ...

) (1954). She also worked closely with composer

Frederick Loewe Frederick Loewe (, originally German Friedrich (Fritz) Löwe ; June 10, 1901 – February 14, 1988) was an Austrian-United States, American composer. He collaborated with lyricist Alan Jay Lerner on a series of Broadway musicals, including ''Br ...

on the shows '' Paint Your Wagon'' (1951), '' My Fair Lady'' (1959) and '' Camelot'' (1960). Working on ''

Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (List of sovereign states, international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in South Australia, SA) is a type of amusement ...

'' (1945), she began a long association with composer

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most ...

, and went on to provide arrangements on ''

South Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

'' (1949), '' The King and I'' (1951) (for which she composed the ballet "Small House of Uncle Thomas") and '' The Sound of Music'' (1959) for which she devised the extended vocal sequence for " Do-Re-Mi". According to assistant conductor Peter Howard, the heart of the number – in which Maria assigns a musical tone to each child, like so many Swiss bell ringers – was devised in rehearsal by Rittmann (who was credited for choral arrangements) and choreographer Joe Layton. The fourteen note and tune lyric – "when you know the notes to sing ..." – were provided by Rodgers and Hammerstein; the rest, apparently, came from Rittmann. Howard: "Rodgers allowed her to do whatever she liked. When we started doing the staging of it, Joe took over. He asked Trude for certain parts to be repeated, certain embellishments." Rittmann retired in 1976 and died of respiratory failure in Lexington, Massachusetts. Her music has been issued on '' Great Performances'' (1972).

Compositions and Arrangements

* Adagio *

- Dance Arrangements *

- Dance Arrangements * Brigadoon - Musical Assistant to Agnes de Mille * Look, Ma, I'm Dancin'! - Ballet Arrangements * Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - Dance Arrangements * Peter Pan - Dance Arrangements *

- Assistant to Richard Rodgers * Miss Liberty -"Train" Dance Arrangement * Out of this World - Incidental Music * Dayenu : folk song * Dayeynu * The King and I - Ballet Arrangements * Paint Your Wagon - Dance Arrangements * The Climate of Eden - Incidental Music * The Girl in Pink Tights - Ballet Arrangements * The cherry tree legend : for baritone and soprano soli, mixed chorus (SATB) and piano * My Fair Lady - Dance Arrangements * A suite of moods : for piano solo * The Sound of Music - Choral Arrangements *

Christine Christine may refer to: People * Christine (name), a female given name Film * ''Christine'' (1958 film), based on Schnitzler's play ''Liebelei'' * ''Christine'' (1983 film), based on King's novel of the same name * ''Christine'' (1987 fil ...

- Dance and Vocal Arrangements * Camelot - Dance and Choral Arrangements *A Canticle of Carols. For women's voices *

Hot Spot Hotspot, Hot Spot or Hot spot may refer to: Places * Hot Spot, Kentucky, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Hot Spot (comics), a name for the DC Comics character Isaiah Crockett * Hot Spot (Tra ...

- Dance and Vocal Arrangements * Jennie - Dance and Vocal Arrangements * Darling of the Day - Dance Arrangements *

Maggie Flynn ''Maggie Flynn'' is a 1968 musical with a book by Morton DaCosta and music and lyrics by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss. Based on an idea by John Flaxman, it was inspired by a true story set in the New York Draft Riots of 1 ...

- Dance Arrangements *

Come Summer ''Come Summer'' is a Broadway musical with a book and lyrics by Will Holt and music by David Baker, based on '' Rainbow on the Road'' by Esther Forbes and vocal arrangements by Trude Rittmann. The original Broadway production opened on March 18, ...

- Vocal Arrangements * Two By Two - Dance and Vocal Arrangements *

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

- Dance Arrangements * Gigi - Dance Arrangements *Four Marys *Sh'tu haadarim

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rittmann, Trude 1908 births 2005 deaths 20th-century classical composers 20th-century German composers American classical composers American women classical composers Ballet composers German classical composers German women classical composers Jewish American classical composers 20th-century American composers 20th-century American women musicians 20th-century women composers 20th-century German women 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American women German emigrants to the United States